Former Site of the Dongyue Military and Political Cadre School

Former Site of the Dongyue Military and Political Cadre School

The former site of the Dongyue Military and Political Cadre School is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former site of the Dongyue Military and Political Cadre School is located within Dongshan Temple on the mountainside of Longtou Mountain, outside the eastern gate of Pengcheng in Dapeng Town. According to the "New Annals of Xin’an County · Miscellaneous Records" from the 27th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty: “Dongshan Temple is situated on the mountain outside the eastern gate of Dapeng Post. In the center is the Guanyin Hall, to the left is the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor, to the right is the Wenchang Pavilion, and in the front is the Three Treasures Hall.” The original Dongshan Temple covered a construction area of about 1,400 square meters and included structures such as the mountain gate, ornamental columns, the Temple of Guan Yu, the Mahavira Hall, the Guanyin Temple, and the bell and drum towers. The temple was first built in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1394 AD), was demolished after the liberation, and has since been rebuilt. In July 1944, the Dongjiang Column established an anti-Japanese military and political cadre school here.

In July 1944, as the anti-Japanese struggle intensified, the Dongjiang Column continued to grow, expanding from just dozens of members to nearly ten thousand. To enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops and the educational level of the cadres, following instructions from the Party Central Committee, the Dongjiang Column founded the “Dongjiang Column Military and Political Cadre School” at Dongshan Temple. Wang Zuoyao, the deputy commander of the Dongjiang Column, also served as the school’s principal; Li Dongming was the political commissar, Lin E was the education director, and Rao Weihua was the secretary-general. The military and political cadre school trained two classes of students at Dongshan Temple. The first class had only a military department with 200 students. By the end of that year, the second class expanded enrollment, added a platoon-level cadre training program, and admitted some high school students, bringing the total number of students to over 400. The Dongjiang Anti-Japanese Military and Political Cadre School was later renamed the Seventh Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. In February 1945, it moved to Luofu Mountain along with the headquarters of the Dongjiang Column, and later relocated across northern Guangdong with the army.

The former site of the Dongjiang Anti-Japanese Military and Political Cadre School has been reconstructed. The original buildings now only include the stone memorial archway in front of the temple, with the inscription “Jiufeng Shengjing” (Auspicious Land of Vulture Peak) on the front and “Pengdao Lingshan” (Spirit Mountain of Peng Island) on the back, both calligraphed by Zhang Yutang, the deputy commander of Dapeng Command in Huizhou. In September 1984, the stone archway was designated as a municipal cultural relics protection unit by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government. Local villagers and overseas Chinese spontaneously donated over one million yuan to renovate Dongshan Temple, fully restoring its appearance.